Recharging the Battery

STARKVILLE – In the middle of a travel ball combine, 13-year-old Josey Marron was terrified. The future Mississippi State pitcher had just been assigned a new catcher for her bullpen. Forget the pressure of watchful coaches' eyes on her; she was more worried about what she saw behind the plate.

That catcher was Jessie Blaine, one of the newest Bulldogs this year and one of Marron's oldest friends. But this was the first time they'd met, and Marron was anything but sure it was going to end well.

"I was terrified of her, and she was supposed to catch me," Marron remembered. "I did not want to go up to her at all because she looks very intimidating. We joke about it to this day because she could tell I was terrified of her when we first met, but she is the sweetest human being."

Blaine is a year older, and though the pair had spent a few years in the same club organization, they'd never played on the same team. They'd see each other around the club's facilities, pass by after practices, even knew of one another and could identify each other, but they'd never spoken before.

The bullpen during a 14U combine changed all of that. Blaine could tell Marron was special right from the start.

"I remember warming her up and thinking that was the best rise ball I had ever caught, and at that time, she was only 13 years old," Blaine said. "I had been playing up for a few years, and I just knew she would end up somewhere."

After their first bullpen, Blaine filled in on Marron's team for a trip to a tournament in Alabama. That was the first time the pair ever played together. There were a few more fill-ins each way that connected the duo, but for Blaine's final two seasons of travel ball, they were finally united full-time.

Over Marron's junior and Blaine's senior summer, the pair was inseparable. There would be tournaments that saw them playing four or five games in a day. Marron would pitch in every one, and every time Blaine was behind the plate.

"She caught me every single game, so we used to joke that she could catch me with her eyes closed," Marron said. "There were times I would throw a high rise ball over her head, and she wouldn't even look at it. She would just stick her glove up and catch it."

Fast-forward to 2023 and Marron was chasing the freshman strikeouts record at MSU while Blaine was catching for a conference rival at Auburn. Despite being opponents in the final regular-season series that year, they had stayed in touch all season long.

"The relationship we had built definitely kept us connected, especially as [Marron] was making the transition into college softball," Blaine said. "I wanted to make sure she was prepared for that transition."

Throughout the year it was Blaine that initiated most of the exchanges, checking in on her younger friend constantly. When Blaine entered the transfer portal, however, Marron was determined to make sure she landed in Starkville.

"I was on her every single day," Marron said. "I was all up in her phone. We talked a lot this summer after she entered the portal. Just asking, 'Hey, where's your head at? We would love to have you here and get the band back together.' I really, really wanted the battery back together, so yeah, I was doing everything I could and then some to get her here."

Blaine described herself as Marron's project for the summer, but she appreciated it because it showed her what the game of softball has meant to her and the impact it's had on her life and relationships.

When it comes to a pitcher and a catcher, those relationships are key. Trust is a huge piece of what takes a battery from successful to elite, and Marron credits Blaine with playing a major role in her development throughout the travel ball years.

"Jessie is very, very good at taking care of her pitchers," Marron added. "It's what she prides herself on. She obviously is great at receiving and throws extremely hard, but she really prides herself on making each pitcher unique in how she approaches them. If there's a ball that she thinks isn't moving the way it should, she lets me know right away. Her commitment to paying attention to the little things is huge. She definitely loves the game and is a student of the game all the time. She has taught me a ton."

With that glowing review, it didn't take head coach Samantha Ricketts long to give Blaine a call. Of course, Marron had already made her pitch to both sides and had Blaine interested immediately.

When the time came for Blaine to commit, she realized she couldn't have a conversation with Ricketts without informing Marron first.

"I called Josey five minutes before I committed," Blaine said. "I waited on her because she was taking a long nap, and I had to wait for her to wake up before I could call Ricketts. I wanted to make sure she knew first, so called her and asked if she was ready for me to play at State. She was so excited, and I called Ricketts right after."

After two years apart while Blaine was at Auburn, the battery was back together.

reunited🥹🥹🥹 https://t.co/qdWDAGRJJp
— Josey Marron (@JoseyMarron) June 26, 2023

"We spent time together over the summers. We tried to work together as much as we could just because that was a comfort and how we liked to do our training," Blaine said. "But our first bullpen after I got to campus happened as soon as we could make it happen."

And Ricketts wasn't planning to keep them separated much longer. In the Bulldogs' first fall exhibition, she had no doubt who she would be penciling in on the lineup card.

"I remember she told me Jessie was catching me in the first fall game, and I was so excited," Marron said. "She definitely did that on purpose. We were in the bullpen warming up and we kind of took a little full-circle moment and got a little teary-eyed. I really appreciate it because that was a really good moment."

And Marron's rise ball that Blaine once said was the best she'd ever seen?

"It's just as good," Blaine declared. "And now she has some nasty other stuff as well."

Mississippi State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Jessie Blaine

Josey Marron

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